


When Cultures Collide

by AquilaTempestas



Category: SMITE (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Humour, Quick fling, Romance, Rumble in the jungle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-18 15:27:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16997607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AquilaTempestas/pseuds/AquilaTempestas
Summary: Thanks to Thor’s poor captaining skills, Ullr and his fellow Norse brethren end up on an island occupied by the Mayans. Whilst on a hunting trip, he runs into Awilix and ends up getting a little more than he bargained for.





	When Cultures Collide

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BunnyHop (HunnyBop)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HunnyBop/gifts).



> This idea actually emerged from a group conversation during a match of conquest. I decided to explore the idea further and came up with this monstrosity.

Grumbling, Ullr picked himself up from the ground, dusting the golden sand off his pants. The remains of the broken ship lay scattered across the shoreline, crushing his hopes of ever getting off this godforsaken island. He knew allowing Thor to captain the ship was a bad idea, but whatever Thor asked for, he received. Freya wanted them to track down Loki – the trickster god had fled Asgard and taken her necklace with him. Ullr didn’t know why the necklace was so important, but Freya insisted that the men retrieve it and Odin agreed.

And that is how he ended up on a beach with Thor, Tyr and Skadi. Skadi wasn’t a man, but she wanted to come along as well and Thor could never deny a lady’s request. Ullr grumbled again, agitated. Wild storms and Thor steering a ship was never going to end well. The man had never even captained a ship before, but Odin said he could. “Let me guess, Thor. You have no idea where we are.”

Thor looked around. “We’re on a beach.”

“Yes, Thor. We can see that,” Skadi muttered. She fanned herself with her right hand whilst her pet wolf Kaldr sat at her side panting. It was hot. Very hot. “I’m going to head into the shade under those trees over there,” she said, gesturing towards the thick forest ahead. “When you’re done talking we have to think of a way to get us off this island… But first we need food. Kaldr and I will search the forest.” Before Thor could get another word in, Skadi and her wolf had already walked away.

Ullr watched them retreat then turned to Thor. “I’m going to. We can’t let her do all the work.” The truth was he didn’t want Skadi earning all the credit for hunting. After all, he was a better hunter and he had been doing it longer than she had. And he didn’t have to rely on the aid of a wolf companion to track down food. “Just… Don’t do anything drastic, Thor. Tyr, watch over him.”

The Lawbringer was currently on the deck pacing back and forth, troubled. He was probably trying to figure out how they were going to off this island. Maybe one of Odin’s ravens would come and visit. Or maybe this was part of the All-Father’s plan – perhaps this was a form of bonding to strengthen relationships before the big tournament. The annual battleground of the gods event was coming soon. As usual it was going to be hosted by the Greeks because the Olympian gods always had to control everything. Last year the Norse pantheon had finished in the top four losing out to the Chinese in the semi finals. It was all thanks to a bad decision from Thor to attack the Fire Giant. That really should’ve been a sign not to trust Thor with anything, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

“All right. Bring us something good!”

...

Secretly grateful to have some time alone, he decided to explore the island while there was still some light. Sleeping on the sand near the water wasn’t his idea of comfort. In the distance, he spotted a large mountain, a ring of clouds around the peak. He strayed away from the ocean, making his way towards the thick vegetation, finding it quite intimidating the closer he came. Vines wrapped around the trunks of the trees and some even linked together, making it quite difficult to make his way through without some sort of cutting tool. 

But finding this way through wasn’t the only problem. It was also stinking hot. It didn’t help he was still wearing layers of warm clothing, but he wasn’t accustomed to this sort of heat. Even if it wasn’t always snowing in Asgard, it was always cold. Unlike Thor, he didn’t have a barbarian’s outfit to walk around in. He was too modest to walk around without a shirt on.

“I can handle this,” he said to himself. It didn’t matter he wasn’t talking to himself out aloud – there was no else around to judge him anyway, so why would it matter? “I will find a way off this island.” He wasn’t quite sure how he was going to achieve that just yet, but he knew it would happen… eventually. 

He continued walking forward, climbing over fallen logs and pushing aside vines and low hanging branches, when he heard a growling noise. That said growling nose came from his stomach. It dawned on him he hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning. Hunger. Such an annoying need. Finding his way off this island wasn’t going to happen on an empty stomach. He reached behind his back to grab his bow then loaded it up with some arrows. He was in a jungle. Surely there had to be some deer or rabbit around?

He searched the forest undergrowth, keeping his eyes peeled for animal tracks on the ground. It would be a bit more difficult to see them since the canopy was so thick and hardly any sunlight shone through, but he knew he’d find something. He just had to look hard enough and trust in his instincts. Besides, he had a point to prove. He was a better hunter than Skadi and he’d be damned if she was the one bringing food back to the crew. He would not be returning empty handed.

It wasn’t long before he found some tracks in the dirt. After awhile, his eyes had accustomed to the light and he was able to make out some paw prints. Dropping down to his knees, he peered down and examined the markings. The markings were fresh. The animal had recently walked down this path. There were also some animal faeces nearby that were also fresh. They did not belong to a bear, a deer or a canine, but rather the paws belonged to a feline. A decent sized one too. 

“Where are you hiding?” he murmured, crouching slightly, as made his way through the forest. Slightly bent knees helped him steady his aim. He kept following the trail until he came across a few more fallen logs covered in moss. This one even had a few spiders crawling along. He climbed over it then stopped, eyes fixed on the ground. There. An earring. A large golden earring shaped like a crescent moon. He bent over and picked it up. Someone had lost one.

He tried to think of the Mayan gods. The Norse had only battled them once in the tournament. He remembered dealing with Xbalanque in the duo lane and having to deal with an annoying rash afterwards from the poisoned barbed bolas. At least he hadn’t had to deal with Ah Muzen Cab. He feared the bees more than the bolas. Kukulkan, Chaac and Cabraken had also competed that day and the monkey, Hun Batz was on jungle duty subbing in for Awilix who had apparently fallen ill that same morning. The earrings probably belonged to Awilix. It wasn’t as if there were any other females on the team… at least, not that he was aware of. He decided to keep it in case he ran into the Mayan team in the tournament. 

He was about to put it away into his pocket when he heard a low growling noise coming from behind. Turning around, he readied his bow and remained still, training his senses on his environment. A jaguar emerged from the bushes, its fur a brown spotted colour, and its eyes filled with a hunger. He was expecting an ambush – why would a predator reveal itself – unless…

“Lower the bow or I will drive this spear through your backside,” said a commanding female voice.

Ah, of course, baited. Luck really wasn’t on his side today. Fortunately, Skadi wasn’t around or he’d never hear the end of it. He did as the woman asked and lowered the bow. The jaguar crept towards him and it seemed to be smiling. So Thor had managed to get their ship washed ashore on Mayan territory. Just great. He wasn’t overly knowledgeable about Mayan culture, but he had heard interesting and terrifying stories from other gods who had gotten lost in the Mayan jungle. The Mayans were barbaric and they had strange fetishes. At least that’s what the stories said. “This earring belongs to you, doesn’t it?”

She ignored his question. He could feel the sharp end of her spear poking into his back. “You’re not much of a hunter, are you? I thought you were supposed to be good. How disappointing. You should get a canine companion like that friend of yours. You could use a helping hand.”

“May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?” He figured he might as well be civil. Maybe she’d be less likely to impale him on her spear if he was polite. 

“It’s Awilix.”

Ah yes, the goddess of the moon. He had never seen her compete before, but apparently she had a fetish for chasing people who were mobile. It was said the jungle was her playground and she liked targeting hunters. He supposed it had something to do with her close connection to her pet companion; she was very protective of nature and saw hunters as a personal threat to her jungle. “Right. Well, Awilix, I found an earring on the ground here.”

“Yes, Suku told me he caught a thief snooping around.”

“Suku?”

“My jaguar.”

“Oh.” Ah. Suku. What did that name mean anyway? It probably meant something along the lines of death in her native tongue. “You can have it back. I’m not a thief. I was keeping it safe.”

“You’re an odd one, aren’t you? Ullr, right? Judging by your clothing, you’re definitely a long way from home.” She lowered the spear and walked in front of him, keeping her weapon close. She was shorter than him. A head shorter actually. Her head just reached his shoulder. “Aren’t you hot? Surely, you must be feeling quite warm.”

Truth be told, yes, yes he was. He was actually sweating. It was damned hot here. Even if he was wearing something similar to Thor’s barbarian outfit, he was sure he’d still find the heat unbearable. On the other hand, Awilix was wearing barely any clothing. She wore a headdress made of feathers, some arm guards, and a two piece clothing garment to cover her breasts and waist. The clothing left little to the imagination. He was surprised that her outfit managed to hold together. In contrast, he was fully clothed from head to toe. Long sleeves. A cape with a hood. Long pants. Fur boots. He was dressed for the snow. Not to mention he was carrying two single bladed axes, a longbow and the arrows.  
“Uh yes,” he said, distracted. “This heat. Horrible.”

“Well,” she replied, looking him up and down then up again. “Maybe if you weren’t wearing so much, you wouldn’t feel so hot.”

“I’ll manage.”

She shrugged. “If you end up fainting on me, don’t say I didn’t warn you. So. I don’t really know much about you. When we think Norse, we often hear Odin, Loki and Thor.” She makes a sour face at the mention of Loki. Ullr couldn’t help but chuckle. So Loki was also disliked outside the Norse pantheon too. “What do you do?”

“I hunt. I ski. I watch over the throne when Odin is away.” Which was strange. Ullr wasn’t sure why Odin entrusted him to watch over the city when he was exiled for rape accusations. He assumed Thor would naturally take his place, but nope. The All-Father often said he would only trust his sons to lead in his place, but Odin wasn’t his father… At least he didn’t think so. He actually didn’t know who his father was. Sif never mentioned it, but Thor was apparently his step-father. Was Odin his father? Maybe that’s why he was entrusted with such an important role in his absence. But if that was the case… He shuddered. What a complex family tree. Maybe it was best not to know the truth.

“Sounds boring.”

That wasn’t the answer he was expecting. “Boring?” he repeated. “What’s so boring about skiing down slopes at fast speeds, feeling the wind up against your skin?”

She shrugged again. “I can ride Suku through the jungle, racing through the undergrowth through narrow pathways, leaping over fallen logs and I can swing on vines. That sounds far more exciting than this skiing you speak of. And hunting? What’s so tough about attacking from a distance? It’s more dangerous and exciting to be up close and personal.”

“Is this how you treat all foreigners? By insulting them? I’ll have you know it’s not easy to land an arrow from a distance,” Ullr replied, folding his arms across his chest. “And I can fight up close. I carry two axes with me.”

“Oh, we can spar then.”

“You have a spear. You have an advantage from poking from a greater range.”

Again, she ignored his comment. She looked at his dual axes. “They seem a bit small. Chaac has a much bigger axe.”

“Size doesn’t matter.”

“That’s what all the men say.”

Well, the conversation wasn’t going in the direction he had intended. The size of the weapon really did not matter. He had defeated warriors with much bigger weapons before with his axes. It was about outsmarting the opponent. But somehow Awilix had turned this into a sexual matter. Perhaps it was her character. “I…” He struggled to think of a counter argument but nothing came to mind. “That’s not the point. It takes skill to use two different weapons effectively. Now please. Is there anything to eat around here? My companions are hungry and we’re stuck on this island until Odin finds out we are here.”

“Companions?”

“Thor, Tyr and Skadi. We lost course during a wild storm.”

Silence then, “Eat some berries.”

“Berries?” he repeated, unsure of whether or not she was being serious. 

“Yes, berries. You are not shooting any of the animals in this forest or I will take something from you.” He turned his head as he watched her walk over to some bushes to the right. She bent over and he couldn’t focus on anything else but her backside. Really. The girl should wear more clothes. He averted his gaze. It was rude to stare. He wasn’t Thor. He looked up when he heard the rustling of the bushes stop. The girl was cradling a bunch of big purple berries. “Here we go. Berries. They’re quite tasty. A bit bitter, but juicy and filling. You might get some strange side effects, but nothing harmful.”

“And you’re just going to give the over? What’s the catch?”

She smiled. “Nothing. We don’t often get foreigners here in our jungle. Sometimes it gets a bit lonely. In the name of friendly competition, I thought I’d show some kindness towards you and your friends before the tournament.”

He looked down at the berries warily. What if this was a trap and this actually weakened his aim? The tournament was just a few days away. Still, he was hungry. He wouldn’t even make it to the tournament if he didn’t eat now. Well, if the berries were sabotaged somehow, his fellow Norse gods would exact their revenge on the Mayans. He took a berry and took a cautious bite. It was bitter and juicy just as she had described it. It also had a strange fizzy taste, but it quickly disappeared. 

Awilix smiled. “They’re good aren’t they?”

“…Aren’t you going to have one?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not hungry.”

“…But…” He wanted to speak further, but no words would come out. It was like he had suddenly lost his ability to make sound. Weakness gripped his body and before he could grab onto the nearby tree for support, his knees gave way and he collapsed onto the ground. So. Either the berries had been drugged or he was having a severe allergic reaction. Even gods had allergies, but this was unlike anything he had experienced.

“I’ll see you again when you wake up,” Awilix said, grinning down at him.

His vision blurred and soon he blacked out.

....

Ullr opened his eyes and found himself looking up at the face of Awilix grinning down at him. Groaning, he forced himself to sit upright as she pulled back. He looked around, talking in his surroundings. He was still in the forest in the middle of nowhere with a Mayan goddess next to him. He looked at her now, holding a hand against his forehead, feeling a stab of pain. “What did you do to me?”

“I didn’t do anything. It seems like you are having some sort of reaction to the berries. That’s probably because you’re not accustomed to the flavour. But! You’ll be glad to know it can be cured!” She leaned forward, giving him a clear view of her chest. She didn’t seem to be concerned at all that her breasts were quite exposed, as if it were normal for her people, but Ullr looked away. The only woman who dressed in such a manner was Freya in his hometown. 

“And how can this be cured?”

He felt like he had been drinking too much mead again. His head hurt. He felt weary. But there was something else. Something foreign. Ullr never spent much time with women. He was always too busy out in the wild on his own hunting down animals or just enjoying the freedom of skiing down the slopes. Besides, it wasn’t like any of the women were interested in his activities. Except for Skadi. But she never paid him much attention in a romantic manner. The woman was probably still distraught over the arranged marriage she had with Njord. 

But having a sore head was the least of his problems. He had another issue to attend to. He didn’t even need to glance down to know there was a problem. It was probably just a reaction to being so close to a nearly naked woman. Yes. That was it. Perfectly natural response to a beautiful woman. But she was right. It was an issue. It wouldn’t be so bad if he was in the privacy of his own room, but right here in front of Awilix? How was he supposed to even think of something boring when she was exposing herself like this in front of him?

“Well. The berry you just ate is an aphrodisiac. How do you think we keep our population alive? I’m certainly not attracted to any of the men here so we have to eat these berries to get our heads in the right place.” A visible shudder raced down her spine. 

He didn’t need her to explain what that was. It was a substance that increased a person’s sex drive. It was Aphrodite’s idea; hence the name. The Greeks had many ingredients that apparently increased a person’s libido, but there were also natural herbs and fruits that also did the same thing. And he had just consumed one of them. Just his luck. That explained why Awilix was smiling. She knew. He had such little experience with women that he had never even hugged a woman before. Hopefully these foreign urges would just simply fade away.

“Anyway. You ought to take care of your problem.” Her grin widened.

He raised an eyebrow. “You got me into this situation.”

“Nope. You ate the berry. You didn’t have to. You chose to. I did warn you.”

“I was hungry,” he whined. A pitiful excuse really. Oh how he hoped the others did not find out about this or he would be forever teased by Thor about how he attracts weird girls. He refused to stand. Why make it any more obvious than it already was? 

She gave him a teasing smile. “I can help you with your… problem if you’d like. You just have to say please. It’s not often good-looking foreign men come prowling around my jungle and I’m curious to see if the rumours about the Norse men are true.” Her eyes dropped down and up again, her grin widening. She was enjoying his torment and there was not a damned thing he could do. “I mean. You could do it yourself…”

Was it embarrassing to admit to himself that he had never actually attended to his own needs? The only time he ever touched himself was when he had to take a leak, but otherwise he didn’t bother. He just distracted his mind by hunting and skiing and doing other numerous physical activities. But now? He didn’t see what other option he had. Of course, he could walk away with a raging hard on. But another part of him was quite curious to see what it was like. Thor would always brag about how many women he had been with and Ullr always felt left out of the conversations because he lacked the experience.

But he had a chance now to change that. Sure, it wasn’t exactly the most romantic situation, but he didn’t think he’d get another chance like this again until he was married off to some girl of Odin’s choosing. It wasn’t as if Awilix wasn’t attractive. She had a playful personality. “I’ve just… Well… Never…” Well this was embarrassing. Here he was pouring his heart out to Awilix about his total lack of experience. Maybe the berry did something else in addition to giving him a raging hard on. Which of course was still something he had to fix.

Awilix raised an eyebrow. “…You spend a lot of time on your own, don’t you?

“Of course.”

“So you’ve never actually been with anyone before, have you?”

“…No.”

“That’s sweet and sad at the same time.”

“You don’t need to rub it in.”

“…I didn’t mean to offend.”

Awkward silence. He wondered how experienced Awilix was. She seemed like the type to get around a fair bit. Yes, he could do it solo, but where was the fun in that? Besides, she seemed to be waiting on him to make the first move. Perhaps it was the plan all along. Give him an aphrodisiac to get him in the mood and she could brag about her conquest of a Norse god to her pantheon. It was a win-win for both sides. She would get her bragging rights and he’d finally understand Thor’s bragging about his conquests. 

“So. Are you just going to sit down and stare or are you going to fix your problem?” He was lost for words. Fortunately, Awilix never seemed to run out of things to say. She moved close and sat down in front of him, pushing her breasts together, purposefully drawing his attention there. Try as he might, he couldn’t draw his eyes away. She grinned. “You ever thought about this before in your wildest fantasies?”

Before Ullr could form a response, Awilix leaned in close then kissed him on the cheek. Needless to say, he was caught by surprise, but it was a pleasant one. He remained still. She brought a hand to his cheek, caressing it slowly, studying his reaction. This is what this was. She was trying to see what would give her the strongest reaction. “…I’d be a liar if I said no.”

That answer seemed to please her. Gazing directly into his eyes, she moved in closer, eyes locked on his face. She was intentionally moving slowly to build up anticipation. Ullr considered himself a reasonably patient person, but he wished she’d quicken the pace a little. Maybe she was waiting for him to make a move. Grabbing her arm, he laced his other arm around her waist, pulling her in close. He received a surprised squeal from the Mayan goddess of the moon. She looked at him, eyebrows raised. “Eager are we?”  
“Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.”

She gave him a coy look. “Don’t forget I’m the one in charge here. You are on my territory after all,” she added before silencing him with a kiss on the lips. Pulling back after a few moments, she whispered, “But you have to work with me. Take off your clothes.”

“You are a commanding one.”

“Don’t try to change the topic. Now clothes. Off. I want to see if the stories are true.”

He didn’t need to be told again. It took him awhile to remove everything – his weapons, his cape, shirt, pants, undergarments, boots – and he didn’t give her a chance to study him. He pushed his clothing to the side then jumped on her, pulling her down onto the floor. Taken aback, Awilix squealed. Amused, he pinned her down onto the floor with his weight, grasping her wrists to hold them firmly in place. 

“Oh. I thought you said you were new at this or is this one of your real life fantasies playing out? I had heard the Norse gods liked it rough,” she teased, discarding her clothing. There wasn’t much to remove. Her eyes moved downwards then up again. “You live up to my expectations, oh glorious one. All that skiing and hunting you do have certainly paid off. ” The Glorious One. That’s what his title was. 

It wasn’t exactly playing out the way he had expected. For starters, the women he often thought of were the Valkyrie, not a Mayan woman who made friends with jaguars. He also expected a bed of some sort, not one made of dirt and leaf litter. “…Maybe.” Breaking out of his thoughts, he propped himself up and studied her naked shape for a few moments. Voluptuous figure. Full breasts. She was almost as perfect as one of the Valkyrie. His eyes studied her chest. “What should I do?”

Rolling onto her back, Awilix spread her legs. “Better think quick or you might miss the moment.”

What would Thor say? “You want me to ride you.”

Giving him a mock look of surprise, she said, “Really? I don’t remember that.”

Although he hadn’t done anything like this before, he had heard stories from Thor and of course his own imagination. He combined the two together and grasped Awilix’s legs, placing gentle kisses on her skin, starting from the knees then working his way up to the inside of her thigh. Awilix remained still, closing her eyes, allowing herself to relax. Lowering himself between her legs, he lifted her legs onto his shoulders then continued to kiss and lick her skin. His lips brushed against her moist sex, but he stopped there. 

Keeping her legs on his shoulders, he raised himself up then bended her legs back so it was easier to position himself for entrance. He elicited a gasp from her throat as he slid his firm shaft into her. Still holding her legs, he began to slowly thrust in and out of her. His movements were slow at first; he was allowing himself to adjust, and when she didn’t protest, he quickened his movements, pushing himself into her as deeply as he could before moving back out and in again. As he increased the speed of his movements, he kissed her hungrily, pumping away into her, over and over again. Awilix wrapped her legs around his waist and began to match his rhythm with her own timed thrusts, her breasts bouncing every time he moved into her.

Ullr pulled away from her lips then moved downwards, sucking on her nipples, kissing them ravenously. Working himself in and out, faster and faster, he continued the repetitive motion until he felt himself start to pulse. Closing his eyes, he groaned with pleasure, releasing his semen into her. Embracing her tightly, he continued to thrust into her, Awilix eagerly meeting his own with her grinding. Eventually, he felt her release. Once she came, he stopped, and allowed himself to catch his breath. Awilix was also panting, but at least she didn’t look disappointed. He pulled himself out then climbed to his feet.

“Tired yet?” Awilix said, glancing up with a grin.

He stifled a yawn. A sudden weariness had overcome him. Now he was ready to head on home. Food for the others be damned. He walked over to pick up his clothing when Awilix stopped him. “I need to go home. Odin’s ravens have probably already seen us here.” And see him with Awilix. Those ravens never missed anything. Now that was going to be awkward moment. Hopefully, the All-Father would not bring it up.

“Well, we probably won’t see each other again until the battlegrounds…”

“Does that disappoint you?”

She crawled towards him then looked up. “Let me do something else as a parting gift. When we meet again I won’t be so kind.” 

She climbed to her feet then kissed his chest, slowly working her way downwards. He took a sharp breath in as he felt her tongue run along his shaft. Unable to stop a deep groan from escaping his throat, he placed a hand on her head, his fingers brushing through her hair. He then placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her downwards. She didn’t need any further encouragement, licking her lips to make them moist, before taking him into her mouth. 

Moving his hands from her shoulders to her head, he ran his fingers through her hair, as a pleasurable gasp left his throat as she began to suck. She moved up and down, scratching the rims with her teeth. She continued to suck, varying her rhythm then withdrew. Closing his eyes again, he tightened his grip on her, feeling the onset of his peak arrive. As if Awilix had done this many times before, she seemed to sense this and withdrew. Grabbing his shaft with his hand, he rubbed the skin back and forth until a thick load of semen landed on Awilix’s chest. 

“…Are you sure you’ve never done anything like this before?”

“…Of course. But we are gods are we not? I don’t think experience or inexperience is really a factor.”

She smirked. “Fair point. I wouldn’t be bothered if you got lost and ended up in my forest again. I do hope you enjoyed your stay here even though it was only temporary, but I must be off. I have to practice….” She wiped his seed off her chest then picked up her clothing. Turning to face him again, she added with a grin, “I hope to battle you in the tournament; at least I know you tire easily.”

“…Whatever,” he replied tersely, fighting off a yawn once more. He just wanted to get off this island and sleep. Even though his encounter with Awilix only lasted a few minutes, he felt like he had been working out for hours. After getting dressed again, he picked up his weapons and prepared to head back in the direction he had come from. Awilix said her farewells leaving him on his journey. 

He didn’t cover much ground when Kaldr burst through the bushes. The white wolf ran up to him then sat down, bowing his head, waiting to be petted. Ullr was the only other god Kaldr trusted. If anyone else dared to come to close he’d bite their hand. He leaned down and scratched the canine behind the ears.

“Looks like you’ve been busy,” Skadi said, emerging from the bushes. She was carrying two rabbits with her. So the woman had found something after all though it was probably all Kaldr’s work. “Busy doing anything but hunting,” she added.

“I ran into some angry Mayans.”

Skadi attached the rabbits to her waistband. Skadi didn’t laugh often; in fact, Loki had been the only god to make her laugh. But she laughed now. “You had some of those berries, didn’t you? Kaldr found the remains of some. I’ve heard those Mayan berries have some odd side effects for foreigners unused to the taste. I hope you didn’t suffer too much.”

“Nothing I couldn’t manage.”

She chuckled again. “Yes. I’ve never seen you looking so pleased before. It must’ve been an arousing experience.”

Of course she knew. Kaldr never missed a scent and neither did Skadi. That woman always seemed to know where he was and what he was doing. “Just… Forget you know anything. No one needs to know. I just want to go home and sleep. End of story.”

He led the way back to the ship. There were two ravens sitting on top of the ship’s mast. Odin’s ravens. So they had found them after all and soon a ship would arrive to take them back home. Skadi’s smile remained. “All right. I won’t say a word to anyone. I hope you don’t catch anything… Well. Not that it really matters. I could just take your place on the team… If we’re playing against the Mayans.”

Of course. Everyone had an ulterior motive and Skadi wanted to play but she was the sub. He rolled his eyes at her latter comment. She was never going to stop making references to Awilix now. Well. She had to have something over him. He decided to let it slide. “Whatever.” He stopped talking and led the way back to the ship. 

Thor looked at him. “It seems someone wasn’t successful in hunting.”

Skadi placed the rabbits down. “Take it easy, Thor. He ran into the Mayans.”

“And you got away unscathed?”

Ullr nodded. “Indeed.”

“Guess they thought you weren’t much of a threat,” Thor said.

“Yeah, that could be it.”

Thor looked thoughtful for a moment then continued. “Odin is sending a ship over. It should be here by midnight so we should make ourselves comfortable until then.” He headed back to the ship and climbed on board to sleep in the cabin. Tyr was already there. 

“I will cook up the rabbits,” Skadi said, heading towards the cabin to grab the required materials. “If you’re interested in eating, come on board.” She followed Thor.

Ullr wasn’t hungry anymore. He had his fill with the berries. He just wanted time to himself because Thor would probably ask questions until he found what he was looking for. Opting to stay away from the ship, Ullr headed into the forest and found a rock to sleep by. For the first time this week, he slept soundly and undisturbed.


End file.
